How you can train smarter to live longer, live better, and stay active and independent — maybe into your 90s or 100s. In our previous article, Why Cardio Matters , we talked about the benefits of doing cardio (like living longer) and introduced you to a few terms that might have been new: Zone 2, VO₂ Max, and lactate clearance. We also offered a general recommendation for how much cardio to do weekly. This article takes the next step: breaking down how the intensity you work at affects the benefits you get from each training session. The science of exercising is rich, complex, exciting, and overwhelming. Besides the fact that it is indeed complicated, it’s made worse by having acronyms for everything, buzzy catchphrases, and intimidating fitness personalities. This is where I’m going to try to make this easier to understand, convey why you should care, and encourage you to add cardio to your daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal lifestyles.

“Doing cardio.” What even does that mean? For some people, it’s hopping on the rower, bike, ski erg, treadmill, or elliptical and checking the box for however long Tom said to do it, then sneaking out before anyone asks questions. Others train for sanity. It helps manage stress, clear the mind, and release a flood of feel-good chemistry. Also in this category are people who actually just love to run, bike, swim, or play sportsball purely for the fun. And then there are those training for performance—to win races, set PRs, and push personal limits. All of this is cardio. And yet, when you zoom out and look at the data, it becomes clear that cardiovascular fitness does something that has a very measurable outcome: it extends your lifespan . And while we’ve all heard that cardio is good for your heart, most people don’t realize just how deep that benefit runs. And as in the case of so many other aspects of life, the broader public often benefits from the insights that trickle down from elite performance research. So whether you're reluctantly doing cardio or chasing a vibe, you’re tapping into the same physiological systems that turn podium-seekers into podium winners.

Question: “How do I select a weight for an exercise, and when should I go up?” We get this question literally several times every single day. And the answer isn't just “go heavier.” The answer is: it depends. Heavier is better—when heavier is appropriate. Sometimes you should go lighter and move faster. Sometimes you should go longer with the same weight. Sometimes you shouldn’t lift at all. Smart weight selection is about clarity, context, and responsiveness. Here’s how we think through it: 1. Is the Movement High-Quality? Before anything else, we ask: Are you doing the movement well? This is Phase 3 work— movement mastery . If you’re still learning the pattern, ironing out inefficiencies, or rebuilding capacity post-injury, weight selection should support technical precision. That means: Moving in clean lines Feeling the right muscles Owning each rep from start to finish

A prostate cancer diagnosis can feel like a loss of control. Treatments like hormone therapy or radiation are often necessary and effective, but they can come with side effects that chip away at quality of life — fatigue, muscle loss, weight gain, anxiety, and more. But there’s a growing body of research that points to something powerful you can control: your strength. Strength Training as a Therapeutic Tool Over the past decade, studies have consistently shown that regular, structured exercise — particularly strength training — can improve outcomes for men with prostate cancer. Here’s what the science tells us:

And How We Get You There In my experience as a personal trainer and strength coach, most people who walk through our doors don’t arrive with crystal-clear goals on their first day. They don’t know which muscles to train or which mobility restrictions to fix. They might know a few exercise names, but they’re unsure how to do them properly—or how it all fits into a bigger plan. But they do know one thing: They want to bridge a fitness gap and feel better about how they move and how they feel about themselves. Generally, people will tell us they want to be: Stronger—even if they can’t quite define that. More confident—even if it’s been a long time since they felt that way. More energetic and more at home in a body t hey’re proud of. Ask around and you’ll hear the same hopes over and over again: “I want to trim this midsection.” “I want to stop tweaking my back.” “I want to hike, bike, and ski without needing two days to recover.” “I want to keep up with my kids—or my grandkids.” “I just want to feel like me again.”